If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work two full-time jobs, ask a parent. Juggling a career and a family is notoriously difficult, but it shouldn’t be anymore, not in the age of flexible work. We’re seeing a growing demand for flexibility in every sense of the word – from office space and working hours all the way to how we approach work-life balance and mental health at work.
Let’s face it: a good work-life balance benefits everyone – you, your family, and even your employer. It’s no secret that you need to be happy with your work, workload, and schedule to hit your KPIs and reach peak performance. In contrast, both you and your productivity suffer if you hear stress and burnout restlessly banging on your door. Fortunately, we now attribute greater importance to achieving this healthy balance between work and life, something especially game-changing for working parents.
Successfully managing your time between family and work duties also means you have more energy left to care for your children. This way, they can get all the love and attention they need from you to develop and thrive.
So, how do you efficiently balance work and family life?
- Communicate and negotiate with your employer
Employers can and should support parents who have returned to work, but this is often a two-way street. Make sure to engage in an honest dialog with your employer about what your family and childcare needs are so they can better meet them. The challenges of balancing work and family could be different for everyone, so finding a solution to your unique situation should involve open discussions with your superiors.
Generally, employers could help with finding a flexible work schedule that serves both you and the business well. This could mean working predominantly from home or simply adjusting your working hours to be able to drop off and pick up the little ones from daycare. Other options you could negotiate are help with childcare expenses or even on-site childcare services. For instance, many WeWork locations offer designated rooms for new moms to make their transition back to work smoother.
- Establish clear boundaries
The digital age created (too) many opportunities for multitasking – everything is within our grasp with a single click of a button. In such an interconnected world, it’s up to us to set clear boundaries and dedicate our attention to one task at a time. This goes as much for work as for family time – no technological advancement truly enables us to simultaneously show up for both.
If you’re efficient at work and limit distractions that come from phone calls or messages, chances are you’ll have more time and energy left for the afterhours with your loved ones. On the same note, your family deserves your undivided attention, so it’s imperative that you log off work at the end of the day and don’t allow anything work-related to derail your plans with them.
- Prioritize and delegate tasks
If there’s ever a secret ingredient to the ideal work-life balance, then it’s building a strong support system. Lean on your partner, family, friends, and even colleagues to lend a helping hand. The parents that most successfully juggle a family and a career are the ones that accept assistance.
Both at home and in the office, there will be tasks you can delegate to your spouse and to your coworkers, respectively. This is especially important if you’re someone who doesn’t shy away from a bit of overtime. Never has it been more pressing to manage your time effectively than as a new parent. You can’t and, even more importantly, don’t have to do everything on your own.
Use a calendar to visualize and prioritize your daily tasks, preferably both work and family related. This will help with meeting work deadlines and arriving on time for major family events.
- Find trustworthy childcare solutions
If on-site childcare is not something that your employer can provide, childcare facilities or nannies are the next best thing. They might not go easy on the pocket but knowing that the little ones are safe and well cared for while you’re in the office is invaluable.
Some parents may grapple with feelings of guilt when they drop their kids off at childcare centers, arguing that they’re missing time that could be spent together. In reality, quality and trustworthy childcare services could significantly aid a child’s development. A daycare center is specially designed to encourage children to explore, learn, and befriend other kids their age, something which may be otherwise limited in their home environment.
- Make time for yourself
All of these tips are meant to help working parents avoid burnout. Still, if the focus stays exclusively on parenting and work, with no time left for self-care, the potential for exhaustion is quite great. And we get it; juggling family and work is time-consuming enough, so it’s easy to forget about your needs. But recharging your batteries shouldn’t be reserved for the annual trips to vacation resorts; it should be a day-to-day habit. After all, taking care of yourself is the only way you can take care of others, too, whether we’re talking about a family or career. So don’t feel guilty about sprinkling a little me-time into your daily schedule – this will help you reenergize yourself and be your best version for everyone around you.
Summing up
Striking the balance between parenting and work will be demanding but rewarding at the same time. Start by communicating openly with your manager about your needs and options and limiting distractions so you can fully commit to whatever it is that you’re doing at work and at home. Find the childcare service that suits you best, ask for help when you need it, and don’t forget to take care of yourself along the way.
